Recycling the Unrecyclable

In the U.S. alone, about 42 million tons of plastic waste is generated every year, and less than 10 percent is recycled. But now, some of this waste is being put to use as building blocks for retaining walls, privacy fencing, sound barriers, landscaping and even furniture.

ByBlock is a construction-grade material made entirely from plastic waste. Discarded plastic (including non-recyclables) are shredded, superheated and fused into 16x8x8-inch blocks. Each block weighs about 22 pounds, but the material can be customized depending on the desired density. The whole process generates 41 percent fewer greenhouse emissions than producing an equivalent amount of concrete, and the resulting product will not crack or crumble like concrete can.

The blocks are produced using a patented, modular system known as Blocker, which can leased or purchased. The system can be installed in smaller recycling facilities or scaled up for larger operations. The goal is to recycle 100 million tons of plastic into ByBlocks by 2030 by making recycling operations more efficient and controlling costs.